Method And Apparatus For Improved Multicast Service Using Negotiated Feedback

1. A method for improved multicast service using negotiated feedback, the method comprising: receiving, by a feedback mobile device from a multicast sender, a multicast transmission for a plurality of mobile devices, the feedback mobile device being one of the plurality of mobile devices, the plurality of mobile devices further including a group of non-feedback mobile devices; transmitting by the feedback mobile device an indication of feedback mobile channel quality observed by the feedback mobile device to the multicast sender and to the group of non-feedback mobile devices; receiving, by the feedback mobile device from at least one non-feedback mobile device, an indication of non-feedback mobile channel quality at the at least one non-feedback mobile device; transmitting by the feedback mobile device an indication of the non-feedback mobile channel quality to the multicast sender and to the group of non-feedback mobile devices, wherein transmitting by the feedback mobile device the indication of feedback mobile channel quality observed by the feedback mobile device to the multicast sender and to the group of non-feedback mobile devices comprises transmitting the indication of feedback mobile channel quality to the multicast sender and separately to the group of non-feedback mobile devices, and wherein transmitting by the feedback mobile device the indication of the non-feedback mobile channel quality to the multicast sender and to the group of non-feedback mobile devices comprises transmitting by the feedback mobile device the indication of the non-feedback mobile channel quality to the multicast sender and separately to the group of non-feedback mobile devices.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving, by the feedback mobile device from the multicast sender, the multicast transmission comprises receiving the multicast transmission via a first wireless access network, and wherein transmitting by the feedback mobile device the indication of feedback mobile channel quality observed by the feedback mobile device to the multicast sender comprises transmitting by the feedback mobile device the indication of feedback mobile channel quality observed by the feedback mobile device to the multicast sender via a second wireless access network.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first wireless access network is a cellular wireless network and the second wireless access network is an IEEE 802.11-based wireless network.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein transmitting by the feedback mobile device the indication of the non-feedback mobile channel quality to the multicast sender and to the group of non-feedback mobile devices comprise additionally transmitting, to the group of non-feedback mobile devices, an indication of feedback mobile channel quality observed by the feedback mobile device and an indication of the identity of the at least one non-feedback mobile device.

5. An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium storing one or more software programs which when executed by one or more processors performs the steps of the method of claim 1 .

6. A mobile device of a plurality of mobile devices, the plurality of mobile devices comprising a group of feedback mobile devices and a group of non-feedback mobile devices, the mobile device being of the group of feedback mobile devices and comprising: a transceiver; a processing unit, communicatively coupled to the transceiver, comprising at least one processor coupled to a memory and configured to receive, via the transceiver from a multicast sender, a multicast transmission for the plurality of mobile devices, to transmit, via the transceiver, an indication of feedback mobile channel quality observed by the mobile device to the multicast sender and to the group of non-feedback mobile devices, to receive, via the transceiver from at least one non-feedback mobile device, an indication of non-feedback mobile channel quality at the at least one non-feedback mobile device, and to transmit, via the transceiver, an indication of the non-feedback mobile channel quality to the multicast sender and to the group of non-feedback mobile devices, wherein being configured to transmit the indication of feedback mobile channel quality observed by the mobile device to the multicast sender and to the group of non-feedback mobile devices comprises being configured to transmit the indication of feedback mobile channel quality to the multicast sender and separately to the group of non-feedback mobile devices, and wherein being configured to transmit the indication of the non-feedback mobile channel quality to the multicast sender and to the group of non-feedback mobile devices comprises being configured to transmit the indication of the non-feedback mobile channel quality to the multicast sender and separately to the group of non-feedback mobile devices.

7. The mobile device of claim 6 , wherein being configured to receive the multicast transmission comprises being configured to receive the multicast transmission via a first wireless access network, and wherein being configured to transmit the indication of feedback mobile channel quality observed by the mobile device to the multicast sender comprises being configured to transmit the indication of feedback mobile channel quality observed by the mobile device to the multicast sender via a second wireless access network.

8. The mobile device of claim 7 , wherein the first wireless access network is a cellular wireless network and the second wireless access network is an IEEE 802.11-based wireless network.

9. The mobile device of claim 6 , wherein being configured to transmit the indication of the non-feedback mobile channel quality to the multicast sender and to the group of non-feedback mobile devices comprises being configured to additionally transmit, to the group of non-feedback mobile devices, an indication of feedback mobile channel quality observed by the mobile device and an indication of the identity of the at least one non-feedback mobile device.